


the art of dating

by jongdaesang (d10smessi)



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Fake/Pretend Relationship, Fluff, M/M, Makeover, Meteor garden AU, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-30
Updated: 2018-08-06
Packaged: 2019-06-19 01:42:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 19,997
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15499512
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/d10smessi/pseuds/jongdaesang
Summary: it starts because jongin wants to help mr. milk tea become a better date and a better boyfriend. it ends a little differently.(or, jongin is helplessly endeared with kyungsoo's baby pink marshmallow jackets.)





	1. the art of meeting

**Author's Note:**

> the au where jongin is xi men and kyungsoo is xiao you and i am the god who fucks up the original story line of the two from meteor garden/hanadan/boys over flowers.

 

he catches jongin’s eyes first during junmyeon’s birthday, mostly because his head is shaved clean and sharp. jongin has never seen a head that round before and his lips twitch. he nudges sehun just a bit and the taller guy follows the line of his sight, lands on the shaved dude beside baekhyun.

 

“cute,” he says. “but not my type.”

 

jongin shrugs. sehun’s type runs on thin and waif-like. jongin’s type runs a little on the sexier side, all big hips and big boobs. he doesn’t discriminate between men, and women, and people as long as they’re fun.

 

“let’s go greet them,” jongin suggests. he smooths his palms down the length of his suit, despite the fact that it’s already impeccable. he roams his eyes as he looks for yixing but he’s probably not here yet, or maybe he’s monopolizing junmyeon’s time. 

 

chanyeol is being an idiot still and jongin sideeyes the way he and baekhyun have at least 10 feet between the two of them and at least two people around their immediate circle. jongin just shakes his head because it is not his business to intervene, whatever these two’s problems are. sehun sidles up to baekhyun’s other friend in their uiversity, jongdae, and pilfers one of the canapés placed on top of the fine china.

 

jongin, of course, goes beside the man with the shaved head. he smiles at him charmingly and the guy smiles a little, mostly because he probably has two mini savory pastries shoved inside his mouth. his chubby cheeks are rounded with him and there is a slight crumb on the corner of his pouty lips.

 

jongin has a glass of champagne on his one hand. he hasn’t consumed it yet so he hands it to the stranger, hoping that label won’t be for too long. he looks down and thanks his height, and the other man’s height, because this angle is doing it for the beauty in front of him. his lashes flutter on top of delicate skin and jongin’s not near enough to see the finer details but oh well, he will be, soon enough.

 

the guy holds the flute all wrong as he tips it slightly into his small mouth. jongin watches his adam’s appple bob down as he gulps. the stranger hands the champagne flute back to him and jongin takes it, amused. the smaller man wipes his mouth with the pads of his fingers before he turns to jongin with a pursed smile.

 

“thanks,” he says. 

 

jongin likes his voice. it’s low, something that tells him that the guy is quiet and shy, most likely reserved. he has always read people well, has always known how to fit himself into the cracks of their personality. jongin knows how to please people, how to make them fall. it is a good skill to have what with playing bridge and being a businessman. 

 

he moves a little closer and gives a charming smile to the man. he doesn’t make it flirty—the other guy seems skittish, like jongin has to make him feel comfortable enough, and he looks appropriately overwhelmed already. 

 

“have we met before?” jongin asks in a friendly tone. he is usually more monotonous and polite than this but the other guy seems a little younger than he is though that might have been attributed to the baby face.

 

“no,” he shakes his head. _cute_ , jongin thinks. “it’s our first meeting.”

 

the right corner of jongin’s lips twitch. this person is awfully honest. he looks like he is a little confused and his head tilts just slightly to the right, lips pressed together in a slight moue, as if thinking if they really have met before. 

 

really cute. jongin is reminded of a maltese—all round with short legs though the guy’s plain and boring black suit is doing him a big favor. 

 

jongin hums a little bit before he leans closer. “huh,” he says in wonder, or well, fake wonder. it _is_ part of the charade. “but i wouldn’t forget such a cute guy.”

 

the stranger’s cheeks color slightly but it is his ears the turn a really bright shade. most likely sensitive there, jongin thinks as he files the interesting observation away.

 

“um…” he bites a bottom lip. “we really haven’t.”

 

“that’s kind of disappointing,” jongin replies with a slight frown. “can i get your name then? i’m kim jongin, by the way. baekhyun and i are friends.”

 

the guy’s already wide eyes widen still. his soft-looking lips part open, and jongin’s eyes trace the shape with his sharp stare.

 

“kyungsoo,” he answers. kyungsoo sounds like a beautiful name. “do kyungsoo. i’m baekhyun’s best friend from high school.”

 

“nice to meet you then,” jongin says as he extends his hand. 

 

kyungsoo extends his as well and he shakes jongin’s own. finally, he smiles a little wider. this time, his lips are not pursed and while the smile has a tinged of awkwardness in them, has a little bit of caution, jongin finds himself pausing.

 

_oh,_ he thinks. it’s gummy and heart-shaped. 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

the party is—as usual. jongin lazily moves through the crowd of people in his five-figure designer suit from europe and tries to greet as much important guests as possible. things like this one are still business events as any other. contracts flow freely between every clinks of champagne flutes or thick brandy tumblers. 

 

“—the new factory in malaysia. what do you think of it, jongin?” the middle-aged woman asks. she is an important business partner for jongin’s mother who owns a group of cosmetic companies and aesthetic centers. 

 

jongin nods and smiles winningly, pleasantly answering a question he has not even heard. “that sounds like a sound plan to me. i wouldn’t be surprised though, considering it’s you who have thought of it, surely.”

 

the older woman giggles and the diamonds on her wrist glitters in the air when she moves her hand to tap jongin’s bicep lightly. jongin does not move and the action from the older woman lingers. he almost rolls his eyes as he tries to find an escape.

 

he spots a shaved head and jongin steps away, right foot first and his left hand clasped on his right wrist behind him.

 

“i’ll have to excuse myself,” jongin says with an apologetic smile. 

 

the older woman in front of him frowns but she nods and waves him away with a good night. she says something else but jongin chooses to forget that as he leaves his mother’s business partner with her 28 year old boyfriend.

 

he sees kyungsoo from before walk around the place, marveling at the centerpieces and even the crystal chandeliers over head. jongin keeps his pace, walking sedately, but dodging anyone who comes too close with a smile and a stare forward, a clear indication that he does not want to talk. 

 

he falls behind a little when someone stops him, a middle aged man whom his dad is seeing as a potential investor for the kim group of companies. apparently, this new rich is interested in his father’s recent foray into the business of resorts and vacation islands.

 

jongin is asked a few questions, mostly standard small talk, before he manages to pry himself away from the conversation. he tries to find kyungsoo again and his eyes narrow when he sees the shorter male’s narrow back, hunched slightly as if trying to make himself even smaller. jongin’s eyebrows pinch together at the sight because kyungsoo is small enough as it is and the every line of his body paints distress as an old man in an ill fitted suit is obviously hissing at him.

 

he walks to the commotion with purposeful steps and he hears the man growling, “do you know how much this suit costs?”

 

kyungsoo sounds scared, as he stutters, “s-sorry. i’m really sorry. i can pay for dry cleaning.”

 

the old man scoffs derisively, “dry cleaning?” he asks, pitching his voice higher. he pulls a handkerchief out of his pocket and hands it to kyungsoo. his hand pats kyungsoo’s bicep and with a dark expression, “how about you just wipe it clean for me, boy?”

 

kyungsoo takes a small step back, head down low and face closed off, devoid of any emotion.

 

jongin steps in and he grabs the old man’s right wrist right wrist. he takes the handkerchief and steps between the old guy and kyungsoo, shielding the smaller man from this businessman.

 

he says in a tone that is _too_ polite to be truly pleasant, “let me wipe it myself for you, sir.” it comes out in a little whisper, serious with a tinge of threat.

 

he dabs the cloth against the wet patch and he releases a quick breath of air through his nose. the condescension is evident from the sound and they way his lips lift slightly in a smirk, just enough to be annoying but not too much to break his blank devil-may-care expression.

 

“look at this fabric,” he says in monotone. “it’s thin—too flimsy. the texture is terrible. the suit probably costs just a little more than the dry cleaning bill. unless, of course, this is rented.”

 

that is exaggerating it a little bit. the suit is maybe not as expensive as jongin’s but the entire set must have still costed some money. jongin relishes at the old man’s expression—the wide eyes and the gaping mouth, disbelief as clear as the glasses the beverages come with. 

 

the old man swipes the handkerchief from jongin’s hand before he stomps away, whispering and muttering to himself, “what a rude boy, butting into other people’s business like that.”

 

jongin just smooths his suit down and turns back to the short man from before.

 

“are you okay, kyungsoo?” jongin asks. kyungsoo nods and jongin places a hand on his elbow, nudging him a little bit. they walk away from the area of the spilt alcohol, farther away from the older man from before.

 

kyungsoo finally breathes out and he gives jongin a shy smile. he reaches over to fiddle with his right ear, thumbs sliding on the back of his lobe like he is not sure what to do with his fingers.

 

“thanks, jongin,” he says softly. kyungsoo’s smile is slow and jongin cranes his neck and puts his hands in both his pockets. “i didn’t really know how to handle that without—you know.”

 

the taller man figures that kyungsoo must mean _without punching the dirty old man square in his ugly face_ so he lifts one shoulder in nonchalance. 

 

“it’s nothing, mr. milk tea,” jongin answers out loud and with his own grin. 

 

kyungsoo’s mouth drops a little bit and there it is again, jongin’s eyes moving south and following the plush lips.

 

“so you remember!” kyungsoo gasps a little and his smile somehow turns wider, brighter. more of his little teeth show and his pink gums.

 

“i do,” jongin answers. he leans closer, bending his back slightly so he can look at kyungsoo in the face—eye to eye. “i told you i don’t forget adorable faces, right?”

 

kyungsoo flushes again but this time, he rolls his eyes a little. jongin does not quite smile but he makes sure his posture is more — open, friendly. he isn’t the warmest guy at first meeting but he is not exactly a liar either. 

 

do kyungsoo _is_ adorable.

 

before kyungsoo stutters out another denial, jongin continues, “anyway, are you free later? or maybe we can, like, ditch the party now?”

 

he raised one eyebrow as kyungsoo ever so smartly replies with a, “what?”

 

“well, i’m a tea expert, mr. milk tea,” jongin replies with a hint of a tease. he keeps his voice neutral, careful, but lets the underlying meaning of his words through the surface. “if you want, we can—”

 

“hold it right there!” an arm is thrown in front of kyungsoo, pushing the short male a little back. jongin rolls his eyes at the familiar voice and turns a flat stare at—who else? byun baekhyun.

 

“what are you doing?” baekhyun asks dubiously. he steps in front of kyungsoo and jongin sighs, looking at the side in frustration.

 

trust byun baekhyun to stick his nose into _jongin’s_ business but not into his own mess of a whatever with park chanyeol.

 

“we’re in public,” jongin answers dryly. “i know i’m good but what can i _possibly_ do?”

 

baekhyun glares at him and he turns his nose slightly at jongin before turning to kyungsoo. he says in a warning tone, “don’t talk to him, kyungsoo— _ever_. if you talk to him, you’ll lose your virginity.”

 

jongin snorts at what baekhyun has said but his eyes flit to kyungsoo’s expression. the red of his cheeks are more apparent now and he hisses an annoyed _baekhyun_ at the taller man. his fists are curled tightly to his side and his shoulders are in a taut line. no doubt, from the embarrassment. jongin himself is thinking something along the lines of what baekhyun has said and how the color suffusing kyungsoo’s cheeks are pretty.

 

“hey.” jongin says. he turns to kyungsoo and he sees himself reflected into his clear brown eyes. he is a little surprised to see himself looking so mirthful, as he adds, “kyungsoo has yet to say yes.”

 

baekhyun gives him a glare and a noise of frustration from the back of his throat.

 

“ignore this idiot, kyungsoo,” he grumbles before walking away. baekhyun grabs kyungsoo’s hand before he pulls him away, heading towards the direction of the exit.

 

jongin chuckles lightly to himself as he picks a flute from a passing waiter. he takes a sip of the chilled alcohol and watches kyungsoo be dragged by baekhyun before he probably has had enough, detaching himself from his best friend and falling into step beside him. 

 

he really has a nice ass, jongin thinks as he smirks against the lip of the glass.

 

this is their second meeting. the first, if jongin does not count ordering milk tea at the shop where kyungsoo works. he wonders if this is the last time and is a little surprised to find himself disappointed at the thought.

 

kyungsoo seems interesting, like he’s good fun. 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

jongin finds kyungsoo easy enough on social media. he does not have twitter but he has a fairly active instagram. he is tagged in all of baekhyun’s posts on him. he follows the account and looks at the grid collection displayed on his screen. unlike jongin’s, kyungsoo’s feed and profile is messy. he has a couple of highlights and jongin watches each of them, tapping quickly at things that do not seem interesting—like plants. there are so many plants on kyungsoo’s instagram account.

 

the most recent photo is of a silver tray with a small succulent in a pot. beside it, there are a bunch of makeup products and—skincare? maybe. the caption is a plain _thank you mom i now have to figure out how to use these_. jongin snorts, kyungsoo is similar to baekhyun. 

 

he likes the ones with kyungsoo’s faces because jongin is shameless and he knows people love attention. he stops liking at the posts that are way too far back but he does not stop scrolling. the selfies and the filters progressively becomes uglier but jongin does not stop loading each photo, reading the captions.

 

he learns that kyungsoo attends the public university two stops away from the private one that jongin attends. he is apparently majoring in agriculture with a focus in urban farming and gardening. that explains the plants and—

 

well, the freckles.

 

jongin can’t help but think of a photo set posted around a month ago, an _impromptu shoot_ as kyungsoo has called it in his long winded caption. dressed in a pink sweater and with plump lips a shade darker than what he is wearing, kyungsoo lies on grass with artfully arranged flowers all over him, hair not yet shaven and the dots all over his pretty face.

 

he thinks they might have been fake, at first, but he scrolls through the other selfies and finds that—they are not. kyungsoo really has all those on his face like they are meant to be there.

 

jongin really can’t take his mind off of that—the constellations on kyungsoo’s face, from the scattering of moles to the splattered stars of his freckles. 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

the thing about kyungsoo is that jongin has other people he can be busy with. he does not obsess over the other man and when baekhyun corners him with a threat, he says he is going to back off. he won’t be that type of asshole, not to baekhyun, so while he is still following and commenting on kyungsoo’s instagram posts, he has toned it down to friendly and approachable, civl. 

 

jongin does not want to experience baekhyun’s spinning kick and end up like chanyeol so he puts kyungsoo out of the _potential_ category and places him into _off-limits_. 

 


	2. the art of friendship

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the tea expert meets mr. milk tea by chance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **IMPORTANT** : this fic will contain family drama on JONGIN's end and i know some people can be sensitive to that (because of many reasons that i will not name). i just want to give a sort of warning that jongin's family here, particularly his grandpa and his dad, will be problematic. i will give them FICTIONAL names as they will become more important to the plot, whatever the hell that will be. with that being said, notice that i change the chapter count to indefinite for now.
> 
> i really want to add an element of family drama, like ah si's mom in the original, but since i'm not going to write the ah si/shancai plot line, might as well just butcher ximen and xiaoyou's story. after the part featuring xiaoyou's asshole boyfriend, this fic is going to go from meteor garden to just... whatever the hell that i want.

being friends with park chanyeol has stuff—happening. jongin is putting it broadly when he says _stuff_ and _happening_ , especially now that byun baekhyun is also in the equation. everything is equal parts shitty and pitiful but what can jongin do? chanyeol is his best friend too and he, along with yixing and sehun, will do the same thing for anyone in the group.

 

so shit hits the fan and jongin has to come pull his friend’s ass out of the mess he has personally created. most of it has him on the phone and on his computer, pulling strings. if the strings do not cooperate then jongin just _cuts them off_. he will do anything to protect his friends, dubiously legal things included. 

 

between trying to make sure that chanyeol is out of the mainstream media and the society pages of every tabloid magazine and dispatch article and he and baekhyun are both alive, jongin sort of forgets kyungsoo.

 

_sort of_ being the operative word. _not really_ being the underlying key word.

 

kyungsoo has posted some photos on his instagram and sadly, none of them have the freckles that have caught his attention and interest. there is just something about them on kyungsoo’s skin that draws jongin in. there is a little disappointment in him too because every time he drops by the milk tea shop, kyungsoo’s skin is smooth and clear—a little too perfect—without any blemishes. his foundation and concealer application is perfect; jongin envies that a little. 

 

and then, of course, despite everything that jongin has done for chanyeol and baekhyun, they just have to ruin everything again and go back to being (amusingly, if jongin has to put an adjective to it) hostile towards each other. 

 

the three of them are in yixing’s house, hanging around because chanyeol has been driving them crazy. jongin mostly uses this as an excuse so he does not have to go back to his lonely penthouse or visit the main mansion where his father is residing. his mother is outside of the country, in singapore, to attend the flagship opening of her aesthetic center. his eldest sister is still in japan with his niece and nephew, alongside her husband who’s the heir of a motor vehicles company. his second sister is tagging along with their mother because she is the most interested in her cosmetics company.

 

if park chanyeol’s sulking and temperament has a use—it is _this._ he is such a big distraction to jongin’s life. chanyeol’s own predicament is shitty enough, and infinitely more amusing, that jongin forgets his _own_ life troubles. 

 

he and sehun have been buzzing around, putting their heads together and trying to come up with whatever they can do to cheer chanyeol up. sehun has suggested a play that jongin immediately swats him in the head because _really_?

 

“how about—” jongin turns around when the baby grand piano in the room stops playing. yixing pauses over the key as he pulls his hands away and rests them over his lap.

 

“yes?” jongin prompts the other male. yixing turns around slightly but does not meet jongin or sehun’s eyes. it’s cool—they are both used to it. not to mention, they _know_ and understand.

 

“let’s invite baekhyun to go out. we can go shop for the coming canada trip this break,” yixing suggests. he tilts his body to the side, waiting for jongin and sehun to answer. that is surprising enough, coming from yixing.

 

“that’s a great idea,” sehun hums. he taps his index finger over his right knee and turns to jongin. “what do you think, kim kai? up to bug chanyeol’s favorite?”

 

jongin has long been grown used to the nickname. he shrugs and answers, “whatever. i’m bored anyway.”

 

“okay,” yixing nods. he stands up from the piano bench and walks towards the stairs going down the loft. he adds softly, “let’s go.”

 

jongin stands up too and follows his two other friends out. yixing’s house butler hands them their coats and jongin pulls the structured YSL over his the casual gucci suit he is wearing. he pulls the hood from the pullover underneath the suit and drags it over the coat as well. sehun buttons his navy blue double breasted jacket, thin fingers careful on the gold buttons. yixing lazily puts his oversized maroon valentino coat.

 

one of the house staff opens the front door for them, bowing his head slightly. a rolls royce pulls in front of them and the house staff holds the car door as the three of them pile inside.

 

“where to, sirs?” the driver asks through the divider.

 

yixing does not answer so jongin puts on an amicable voice and says, “myeongdong, driver ahn. the same milk tea place from before.”

 

the driver nods and there is a knowing smile on his face as he gets the car out of yixing’s incredibly modern estate and out towards the quiet private streets that separate them from the rest of the moving world.

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

driver ahn drops them off a block away from the milk tea shop because it is tucked away in a narrow alley where everyone mostly walks or bikes. the rolls royce attracts attention, quiet admiration, really, since it is not like sehun’s flashy lamborghini or chanyeol’s large as fuck mercedes jeep. the royce is more of jongin’s car choice than his two other friends’, like the bentley he is so fond of driving everyday. on special occasions, he would take out a fully restored vintage ferrari but that is rare enough, only if he wants to truly impress someone.

 

they walk the lined streets with people. yixing walks in front of them and he and sehun occasionally bump shoulders, not really talking. he is not much of a small talker, unlike sehun who often cracks jokes out of the blue or points out random things in the streets.

 

“—and yeah, get this. i’m meeting this girl tomorrow to play billiards and we have a bet going on…”

 

jongin is nodding along slightly as sehun blabbers on about his new girl who, apparently, is an absolute crack at billiards. they’re betting over the game and stupid sehun has placed the tag on some modern pop art he has bought from an auction a year ago, in sweden, that costs more than a luxury sports car. jongin hopes the girl scams the fuck out of him just so sehun learns that escort services are a thousand times cheaper than betting a future dalí. 

 

yixing slows down at the familiar sign of the shop and jongin notes that there is not much customers at this time of the day, even if it is bright out and the time is just a little before noon. the chinese male pushes the door open and the small overhead bell chimes like a rustic dream, old-fashioned. 

 

the ambiance of the place has never failed to calm jongin because despite the drink choices being milk teas—and as a tea expert, he _just can’t_ , the atmosphere of the store is peaceful. it is a delicate serenity made of books on the shelves and hanging paintings that, while sehun has critiqued as amateur-ish, are definitely homey. 

 

there are only three customers, two sitting in one table and one alone, in the small place since it’s rare that people stay to hang around the mismatched furnitures. there is free wi-fi but the weekend has slowed down opportunistic university students lugging around their books and highlighters.

 

“oh, hi!” it’s baekhyun who first greets them. “it’s you three.”

 

jongin notices the narrow back of another employee, kyungsoo, facing the counter filled with the jugs of pre-made tea. jongin resists the urge to cringe because that is hypocritical of him. he does enjoy the sweet concoction, despite his entire upbringing telling him it’s _wrong_.

 

“hey, baek!” sehun heads to the counter first, leaning close to where baekhyun is standing around.

 

“hello, baekhyun,” yixing gives a quiet greeting as he stands in front of the cash register in front of the smaller male. 

 

jongin heads to the display glass filled with all sorts of sweet and savory pastries, watching his friends interact while keeping a side eye on kyungsoo’s working form. the short haired male heads to the machine, the one that puts the plastic cover over the cup.

 

“so…” baekhyun drawls out. “what are you doing here again?”

 

"just wanted to annoy you,” jongin playfully answers. baekhyun huffs and shakes his head.

 

“then please leave,” baekhyun dryly says. “unlike you three, not all of us are business or musical geniuses with unlimited financial resources.”

 

sehun and jongin both snort and even yixing's lip quirks up a tad bit.

 

“can’t you ditch work?” sehun grumbles. “come with us shopping. we’re planning on going to canada this break.”

 

baekhyun rolls his eyes and he answers something, drowned out by a deep voice calling out, “red royal peach tea on the counter for customer baek ah young.”

 

customer baek ah young stands up, the loner on one corner of the place, and he places the vibrating disk on the counter as he grabs his drink. jongin sneaks a glance at the short man and he blinks because—

 

_ah,_ he thinks. _finally_.

 

it’s the first time he has seen kyungsoo without the foundation or the concealer. his skin is littered with freckles. jongin watches as kyungsoo heads to the counter and sidles up to baekhyun.

 

“kyungsoo,” baekhyun whines. “tell these three to leave!”

 

“i can’t,” kyungsoo giggles. “they’re customers. that’s bad business, baek.”

 

“they’re not even customers,” baekhyun complains. “they’re just standing around without buying anything.”

 

jongin covers his silence with a cough and he resumes needling baekhyun, trying to keep his eyes on the taller employee’s face. 

 

“come on, baek. just for a while—hang with us.”

 

baekhyun frowns and kyungsoo nudges his shoulder against his best friend. “it’s a slow day, anyway. i can handle it.”

 

jongin turns to look at kyungsoo again and up close, he can see the blurred dots of warm brown, and red brown, and light brown, on kyungsoo’s skin. the photos on his instagram are different from what he is seeing up close. the one where he’s lying on the grass doesn’t show _this much_ of discoloration so that is probably photoshopped. the other images just showed random dots, a handful maybe. 

 

bare faced—and jongin is sure kyungsoo is bare faced—the other man’s skin is smooth but it’s littered with the freckles and jongin is so, so wrong. those are not constellations. 

 

it’s an entire galaxy. 

 

this one looks like someone has taken a brush and artfully splattered kyungsoo’s face with autumn colors.

 

most of them are concentrated on kyungsoo’s nose bridge and his high cheekbones, curving towards the temples. it starts to scatter over the actual cheeks. there are some on the corners of his eyes alongside kyungsoo’s moles. there are a lot of freckles on his face—it’s kind of amazing.

 

jongin does not realize he is staring until kyungsoo tilts his head, asking, “jongin?”

 

he startled but quickly masks it off. 

 

“um… yeah, hey,” he says. 

 

he realizes he still kind of is staring at the other man’s face until kyungsoo must have noticed that too. he raises his fingers to his jawline and scratches the patch of skin. he has some freckles there too, though they are nothing compared to the amount on the upper half of his face.

 

“ah sorry,” he says softly. “i ran out of foundation this morning and i'm too broke to buy a new one so.” kyungsoo laughs in embarrassment, cheeks going red, as his eyes go lidded, blinking many times.

 

baekhyun is probably a hound in his past life and he quickly turns to kyungsoo and jongin’s exchange, glaring at jongin.

 

“don’t listen to kim jongin, kyungsoo,” he admonished. “is he teasing your freckles? i told you they look nice.”

 

“one,” jongin drawls out. “i’m not teasing kyungsoo for his freckles. in fact—” he turns to kyungsoo this time, smiling slightly. “you’re right, they look nice. it’s cute.”

 

kyungsoo’s fingers travel from his jawline to his nose bridge and jongin’s eyes follow the movement, stare tracing on the many discoloration on kyungsoo’s face. they really are just glorified blemishes—and everyone has blemishes—so jongin has no idea why he is fixating on the freckles so much. maybe because it is his first time to know someone who has _so many_ that jongin can’t help but feel endeared to them.

 

“he isn’t, baek,” kyungsoo defends him. the small man turns to baekhyun again and says, “you can go ahead with them. i really don’t mind. i’m going to just play games anyway.”

 

baekhyun groans. “but kyungsoo—” he mutters something under his breath before he turns to the other three. jongin faces baekhyun because he is raised well and staring at kyungsoo’s face is rude.

 

“listen, you three. we need to sell to get our bonuses, okay?” baekhyun explains. he taps the counter with his index finger in impatience. “if we don’t reach our quota, we won’t get extra money to spend.”

 

“hmm…” sehun hums. “so you just need to sell a certain number today?”

 

jongin immediately catches up. “we’re bored anyway.” he shares with sehun a look. 

 

screw shopping. the only reason they are here and asking baekhyun out is because they are going out of their minds with how lazy the weekend is.

 

“okay!” he and sehun say at the same time. sehun adds, “leave it to the three of us.”

 

kyungsoo tilts his head. “what are you planning on doing?”

 

“we can promote the store in the main street,” jongin replies easily. “you two can’t do that because you have to man the place but we three can attract customers.”

 

“three?” yixing suddenly asks. jongin nods and sehun grins at their chinese best friend. yixing just sighs as if he is roped into something he does not want. 

 

“leave it to us.” sehun puffs his chest out as he grabs the thick stack of flyers on the counter. 

 

“we’ll get you two that bonus,” jongin smiles as well. he glances at kyungsoo and he is a little surprised that their eyes meet. kyungsoo grins at him—them, really, but jongin can edit the scenario in his mind a little—and his cheeks raise up, eyes crinkling, bringing the stars with them.

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

before going to the main street, jongin takes an artsy photograph of the narrow street, making sure that the shop is visible despite not being the center. he makes it the photo’s focus and he posts it on his instagram, telling everyone that the milk tea there is good. 

 

that’s true enough, he figures, for all intents and purposes that they are milk teas. his maternal grandmother will probably throw a fit once she learns that jongin is drinking milk tea, of all things, and will demand him to put on a full tea ceremony in front of her.

 

the main street is busier and the three of them do not stray away from each other as they hand the flyers out. someone mistakes yixing to be an idol and sehun has to field a couple of entertainment company scouts. he is not interested. besides, his family will be even more unbearable if sehun becomes a pop star.

 

they direct them towards the shop and they run out of flyers and mostly resort to making yixing hold a medium sized poster, telling people to visit _talent’s milk tea shop_. by past mid day, they have gone back to the store and has found a long line snaking through the alley. 

 

“oh,” sehun says. “now they really will get a bonus.”

 

the younger man takes a photo of all the people and jongin momentarily despairs at the composition of the image before sehun puts it up on his instagram, telling people to visit the shop and tagging the location. most of the people in line are tittering with their phones out and jongin no longer feels uncomfortable with the attention, instead choosing to bask in them.

 

he and yixing go inside as sehun chats up some girls and guys on the line with his charming smile. jongin heads to the counter to see baekhyun smiling wide, apologizing because they have no more of those vibrating disks so they’re just giving a slip of paper with a written number to everyone. 

 

kyungsoo is preparing ten cups at once, scooping pearls into all of them.

 

“can i help?” jongin asks politely. kyungsoo and baekhyun can’t seem to handle the volume of customers and one more person will make the job easier.

 

“i can help too,” yixing chimes in. baekhyun’s head snaps at that and he shakes his head, frantic.

 

“no need!” he says. yixing shrugs and he steps into the _employees only_ area. the place really is small, having only one cashier on the counter.

 

“i can handle it,” yixing says. baekhyun nods quietly and he points towards the machine where the cups are placed to be covered with a plastic film as a lid. kyungsoo directs yixing to the job, mostly pressing the button.

 

“what about me?” jongin asks again. “if yixing can help then i can too.”

 

“what do you even know about tea, kim jongin?” baekhyun grumbles.

 

jongin raises his eyebrow and baekhyun must have realized what he has just said because he groans. “oh yeah. tea expert, right.”

 

he gets another order from a customer before turning to kyungsoo.

 

“kyungsoo, what can jongin help you with?”

 

“oh, um…” kyungsoo pauses, thinking. “maybe he can call out the orders?”

 

jongin nods and he steps into the _employee area_ to help the other three. he tugs his coat off and carelessly places it over one of the small stools, never mind that the article of clothing is upwards of ten grand.

 

yixing is quietly working and he is handing jongin the cup as jongin calls the customer name and the number. the customers are all trying to make small talk with him and jongin has slipped his number to three people—or ten—and before long, they are running out of tea as well. 

 

the commercial drink is made differently than the traditional ones that jongin prefers but it’s practical. you don’t need good quality leaves since the tea will be marred with sugar and syrup anyway. 

 

there is a lull in customers by seven in the evening but yixing has already been nodding off in the employees’ break room and sehun is already complaining.

 

by the time the owner comes and yixing is already awake, the two employees are already dead beat and has made all five of them a small cup of the signature milk tea with pearls—the black ones for baekhyun, sehun, and jongin, the white ones for kyungsoo, and a mix of both for yixing.

 

the owner is pleasantly surprised at the inventory for this day and she hands the paychecks with a smile. 

 

“you’ve sold more today than all of last week,” she says in amazement and approval. “your bonuses.” 

 

the owner hands a brown envelope to baekhyun and kyungsoo each as jongin watches with his two other friends from their table. she rifles through her purse and hands them a card too.

 

“and a gift card,” she says. “since you did so well today.”

 

the two employees bow happily with a chorus of _thank yous_ as the owner waves them off. “don’t forget to clean up and close. you two can end early today.”

 

she leaves after thanking the three of them too and kyungsoo and baekhyun head to the table with their gift card and their envelopes.

 

baekhyun bows first and attempts to offer to split the bonus to them. kyungsoo does too and jongin just shrugs.

 

“seriously, it’s your money,” sehun says. it’s not like they need the pay check.

 

“but baekhyun is right,” kyungsoo shakes his head. “you three are the biggest help.”

 

“kyungsoo, no,” jongin interjects. “it’s a team effort, okay? and you need the money more than us.”

 

he does not say it in a condescending manner and kyungsoo gives a small quirk of his lips, holding on to his envelopes.

 

“we can treat you to dinner?” baekhyun offers.

 

“well,” yixing says. “do you want to go to canada with us?”

 

“what?” baekhyun is startled at that. “where did that even come from?”

 

“we’re going there for a short vacation,” jongin offers the explanation that yixing is no doubt too lazy to give. “you have a bonus, right? you can go with us—you and kyungsoo, of course.”

 

baekhyun bites his bottom lip and kyungsoo turns to his best friend.

 

“baek,” he says. “what do you think? we’ve never been abroad.” his lips are jutting into a pout and baekhyun frowns just a little.

 

“i don’t think our bonus and paycheck are enough to cover the cost of travel and accommodation.”

 

“it’s no problem,” sehun carelessly waves his hand. “chanyeol’s family owns the chalet we always stay at. they have, like, everything.”

 

the four of them have made it a tradition to go to canada once a year, making use of the thick snow to snowboard and ski. they go to other places too, like the beach front modern villa that jongin himself owns in fiji, or sehun’s grandmother’s countryside chateau in france, or the zhangs' main house in beijing. 

 

“chanyeol’s?” baekhyun huffs. he says chanyeol’s name like it’s some dirt on the bottom of his shoes. 

 

“yup,” jongin adds, popping his p. he pushes his glasses up and watches as kyungsoo mimics the action. their glasses are similar in shape except kyungsoo’s are rounder. “no need to worry about food and lodging. we can get you discounted flight tickets too.”

 

jongin does not say they can get the two _free_ flight tickets considering his family owns the top airline in the country. he knows it will not sit well with either of the two men so he offers what he can, which is discounted flight tickets.

 

“baekhyun…” kyungsoo trails off. jongin thinks it’s cute how kyungsoo seems to want to go to canada with them. 

 

“i have to help my mom with her business,” baekhyun says. he sounds like he’s wavering though. “and i can’t just leave her and dad alone for a few days. i’ll think about it but…”

 

“then think about it,” yixing calmly says. “we won’t be leaving until the break anyway.”

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

jongin has been staring at his kakao talk application for a good amount of time now, almost ten minutes, and wondering if he should go send a message to kyungsoo. the two of them have exchanged phone numbers, finally. 

 

he wants to ask if he and baekhyun are coming to their trip to canada so he can call someone and get their flight tickets sorted with them. 

 

jongin has been erasing and typing a message when a message bubble pops up on the texting field. the message from kyungsoo is a short and concise _baekhyun said yes to_ followed by a canadian flag and several airplane emojis.

 

he types a quick, _that’s good,_ and another message of, _i’ll get the tickets ready_.

 

jongin can’t see if kyungsoo is typing or not but his message has been delivered and read. a minute or so, kyungsoo sends an emoji of a man bowing. he replies with a _no prob_ and then, because he’s getting brave, _let’s talk here more_.

 

kyungsoo does not reply quickly and when the message comes, he realizes why. it is a whole two lines of emoji—mostly questions marks and exclamation points and of course, the interrobang. 

 

_haha i just wanna be friends_ , jongin texts. 

 

it’s not a lie. kyungsoo is _cute_ and he seems like he’s a funny person—amusing—but he really has no ulterior motives, or well, he does not intend to go through with it considering baekhyun has a black belt in hapkido and a protective instinct for his friends that runs a mile wide and double that in length.

 

kyungsoo with the emoji of an anguished face, the one with eyebrows, but he follows it up with a _okay_ and a thumbs up.

 

that’s good and besides, jongin reasons to himself, being friends with kyungsoo will help make their canada trip more comfortable.

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

jongin ditches his three best friends after all his classes are done and he gets five consecutive distressed messages from sehun conveying how betrayed he is feeling on the drive to downtown seoul. he scores an overpriced parking space for the bugatti veyron he has brought with him today. jongin is a car enthusiast, even if he does admit to having favorites. this one isn’t his go-to car, not really, but he has left the bentley at the kims’ main residence and he isn’t very keen on getting it back any time soon, considering his father and paternal grandfather are both in there at the same time.

 

he takes a slow walk around the block even if it’s cold. jongin has always been immune towards low temperatures and he’s dressed warmly enough in his opinion. he layers over his thermal gear a thick turtleneck sweater in black and over it, a classic white gucci t-shirt. jongin owns, like, five of these shirts. over those, he has on a casual suit in wool, tailored to him like most of his clothes are, in navy blue. the jacket is unbuttoned but it’s already lined, made for the colder months.

 

he’s eyeing a display window of antique china when he spots in his periphery a familiar haircut—ugly and awkward but weirdly adorable. a blur of cotton candy pink makes jongin turn around as he squints, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose.

 

“kyungsoo!” he calls out to the figure who has managed to cross the street and has walked past jongin. 

 

the baby pink blob turns around and kyungsoo’s eyes widen before he hurries to walk back to where jongin is standing. jongin meets him half way and a pleasant tingle zaps through his gut as he sees kyungsoo’s round wire framed glasses and the freckles on his skin. kyungsoo seems to be like those people perpetually stuck during the summer, what with the patterns on his skin. the dots on his nose bridge are lighter but they are still apparent. 

 

“what are you doing here?” kyungsoo asks. 

 

he huddles deeper into the padded jacket he is wearing. it makes him look like a marshmallow, all soft and cuddly. jongin eyes the other man, eyes raking in his clothes—from the jacket fully zipped high to his throat and the loose jeans he is wearing with it. the hem of the jacket falls before the swell of kyungsoo’s ass but the ugly pants he is wearing is doing him a disservice.

 

jongin shrugs after a moment, enjoying kyungsoo’s attention as he waits for his answer. “nothing much, really. i’m done with classes and i don’t want to stay in school.”

 

kyungsoo nods as he, too, replies, “oh. me too! i’m done for the day and uh—” his cheeks color a little bit. “baekhyun and i are supposed to go shopping for clothes—for the canada trip? since we got the gift card from the owner and all that but he’s kinda held up today with a group work.”

 

jongin does not know that about baekhyun but he gives an empathic smile still.

 

“ah well,” kyungsoo waves his right hand. “i’m going to the mall close by. enjoy your day.”

 

the shorter male turns around and jongin thinks of an idea—not bad at all—that has him calling out, “kyungsoo, hey, wait!”

 

“do you need something?” kyungsoo turns around again with a curious expression.

 

jongin does not fiddle but he does place his hands inside each of the pocket on his trousers. 

 

“can i go with?” he says. “i’m kinda bummed, anyway, and maybe i’ll shop too.”

 

kyungsoo gives him a wide beam and _wow_ , that is a pretty big smile. that is a pretty _and_ big smile, jongin thinks.

 

“yeah, sure!” the other man walks ahead and jongin matches his pace with him. kyungsoo has short legs but they manage to enter a mall quickly enough. 

 

kyungsoo undoes his pastel pink jacket inside the place, but does not shed it. the place is temperature-controlled still, so that it is a little cool and people won’t be too uncomfortable in their layers. also, it saves a lot on the heating bill.

 

jongin rarely goes to malls like this. online shopping exists for a reason and if he wants to shop, he mostly does it abroad. it’s cheaper that way and he has more choices available to him. if he is buying stuff in korea, he stays within a single strip in gangnam. 

 

they head to the department store and kyungsoo makes a beeline to the large section dedicated to the winter season. most of the ones are thermal clothes and they are greeted by a sales employee to which kyungsoo waves away with a smile and a small bow.

 

jongin turns to his companion—thinks about all the baby pink in front of him—and asks, “what are you looking for, exactly?”

 

“i need warmer thermals,” he says. “and a new coat.” kyungsoo pats his padded jacket fondly before adding, “this one is new but mom says i need something longer.”

 

jongin nods. that is practical; he gets that. 

 

kyungsoo is a quick shopper, to jongin’s surprise. if this is jongin, he would have spent a lot of time thinking of what to buy, if he already has one in his closet. he almost always ends up getting the item anyway but jongin never learns from it, he still spends a lot of time buying clothes.

 

the thermals are bought quickly enough and jongin’s eyes widen because—

 

“you’re extra small?” he asks, incredulous. jongin is somewhere in large, or sometimes he is medium in size, depending on how he wants the item to fit or where he is buying. most often they don’t really have a size since he would rather get the items bespoke. if there is one good thing his father has taught him, it is to always wear tailored suits.

 

kyungsoo’s cheeks flushes and the color is darker than the coat he has on.

 

“yeah,” kyungsoo replies shyly.

 

“that’s cute,” jongin resists the urge to pinch kyungsoo’s cheeks slightly. they head off to the area where they sell the outerwear and the shorter man heads towards a rack, flipping through the coats.

 

jongin pulls up a parka with a fur lined hoodie and finds the price at 150,000 won. it’s really cheap. he owns underwear more expensive that this but the quality is nice so kyungsoo might consider it.

 

he hangs it over his wrist and walks around some more until he spots a—baby pink coat again? as far as he knows they are not on trend but the color is nice, classic. it is the exact same shade of the one that kyungsoo is wearing—all soft and pastel and nicely muted—and the longline jacket is padded too. the only difference, aside from the length, is the fact that this one comes with a hoodie.

 

jongin returns the parka and takes this one.

 

kyungsoo is perusing a rack this time, tongue poking out and bushy eyebrows furrowed as he compares price tags.

 

“look what i found,” jongin says as he holds up the jacket. “it looks like the one you’re wearing.”

 

kyungsoo stops short from comparing one woolen long coat and a fur lined army green parka as he sees the jacket that jongin is holding.

 

“oh my god,” kyungsoo exclaims as he rushes to jongin. jongin has been holding the hanger up, leveled with his chest. the thing falls a little below jongin’s knees and he kinda snickers, thinking of how long this will be on kyungsoo.

 

kyungsoo sheds his own jacket as he grabs the hanger that jongin is carrying. he leaves his coat on one of the racks and jongin picks it up, tugging the sleeves the right way. kyungsoo wears the coat and jongin has not checked the size—the coat is a little big on kyungsoo. 

 

“it’s big,” the small male remarks as he observes himself. there is just so much pink going on but the color fits kyungsoo. it’s not jongin’s shade so he won’t pull this kind of cotton candy pink, ever, but kyungsoo’s cool tone does.

 

“turn around,” jongin says. kyungsoo obeys and the taller man tugs the tag and sees the coat to be small in size.

 

outerwear sizes tend to run even bigger so jongin says, “this is a size small.” 

 

kyungsoo frowns up at him once they are facing each other and asks, “is there an XS?”

 

jongin heads back to the rack and kyungsoo follows him. there are other colors of the jacket but he eyes only the shade that kyungsoo is still fitting and rifles through the hangers. most of the remaining ones are large and mediums.

 

he flags a sales personnel who has been watching them since they have started looking around and she walks eagerly towards them, slight heeled shoes clicking on the tiled floors.

 

“how may i help you, sir?” she asks. 

 

kyungsoo tugs the jacket he is wearing and hands it to her. “do you still have this one in extra small?”

 

the woman frowns, thinking, before she says, “i’ll have to check our stock at the back. can you please wait over there?” she gestures towards the cushioned benches and kyungsoo immediately nods. 

 

jongin walks behind kyungsoo and the bench is kind of small so the two of them are all pressed up beside each other. the shorter man takes his jacket from jongin and they wait for the sales lady to come back.

 

it does not take her long and she comes out carrying a brand new coat, unmistakably in baby pink, packaged neatly.

 

“here,” she says. “it’s our last stock.”

 

kyungsoo nods and thanks her profusely. 

 

“you’re lucky,” jongin notes as they walk away. kyungsoo is looking around some more and jongin has seen some items but nothing that has caught his eye. 

 

“yep,” kyungsoo nods as he carries everything in his arms. jongin wants to offer to help but the other man seems okay enough carrying his items. “this is a little expensive than most of my coats though.”

 

“the quality is nice,” jongin replies. the longline puffer coat costs a little below 300,000 won but outerwear _is_ expensive and they are supposed to last a long time. this coat is sturdy, jongin knows just from the way the stitches are done and the fabric quality itself. he adds, “it’ll last you long.”

 

kyungsoo hums in agreement and he stops at another part of the department store. there is a small note about the label—an independent recently launched brand by young entrepreneurs—and kyungsoo grabs two oversized hoodies and an oversized turtleneck in black. he does not fit them though and he just walks away after nodding in satisfaction.

 

“done?” jongin asks. he points to their right, saying, “we can pay there.”

 

“um…” kyungsoo fiddles a little bit. “i need to buy—”

 

he does not understand what the other man has said and jongin leans in, eyebrow quirked up, giving a curt, “huh?”

 

kyungsoo averts his eyes and he touches his earlobe again, fingers sliding for a moment over the freckles on his cheekbones and cheeks.

 

“foundation,” he answers softly. “i need to buy foundation.”

 

“oh,” jongin says. “you really don’t need to though. your skin is perfect.”

 

kyungsoo rolls his eyes, snorting, “foundation isn’t just to hide acne though… my freckles look weird, kind of dirty.” he sounds sad about it and jongin shakes his head.

 

“they’re not! they’re really cute, kyungsoo,” jongin insists.

 

“stop lying,” kyungsoo retorts. 

 

“i’m not,” jongin releases a frustrated breath. why is kyungsoo even insecure about his freckles? they’re pretty and unique, a charm point—charm points, counting every single discoloration. he does not want to overstep any boundaries and he knows people have insecurities and inhibitions.

 

who is jongin to oder kyungsoo what not to be insecure about? they aren’t that close (yet?) so he keeps his mouth shut, tilts his head in apology. 

 

kyungsoo accepts it with a small smile and they pay first for the clothing. jongin grabs all the paper bags and he sees kyungsoo roll his eyes with a fond smile. he bumps jongin’s shoulder—or bicep, really, since that’s what his shoulder can reach—and the taller male knows he is forgiven, or there really is nothing to forgive. 

 

the beauty section of the department store is large and kyungsoo walks with purpose towards a display of one brand. it’s a high end one, nothing too luxurious like chanel or guarlain or jongin’s mom’s luxury label, but still expensive.

 

kyungsoo spots the foundation section and jongin steps beside him, peering through the bottles boasting how matte and full coverage the formula is. the shorter male frowns as he peers through the shade display.

 

with a determined face, he turns to the hovering sales lady, asking, “are these all the remaining shades?”

 

the woman gives an apologetic smile. “yes, sir,” she nods. “i’m afraid we ran out of the other ones in the range.”

 

kyungsoo bites his bottom lip and he picks up two bottles, taking a sample on the back of his hand. jongin watches as kyungsoo puts the liquid over the skin of his neck.

 

jongin shakes his head and remarks, “that’s not your shade.”

 

the shorter male unhappily grumbles. “i know. i thought they’ll be close but apparently not. the difference is too obvious.”

 

“hm…” jongin eyes the man beside him and asks, “why not try other foundation?”

 

kyungsoo shakes his head. “this one is the only formula that can cover up…” he trails off and gestures to his face in general.

 

this time, jongin frowns too. kyungsoo is referring to his freckles because he can’t see any other blemish but them. it’s normal to want to hide the imperfections but the freckles are not that bad anyway. jongin remembers his puberty acne and how his mother has practically threatened his dermatologist to _fix_ his face. the freckles, at least on kyungsoo, look like they belong there.

 

but, still, jongin understands that people have things they rather hide and if kyungsoo feels bad about these things then jongin, or anyone really, just has to help him feel good about having his own skin. makeup is good and it helps people accentuate and hide their features but kyungsoo does not even _look happy_ buying foundation.

 

“you don’t have to hide them, just so you know,” jongin says noncommittal. kyungsoo rolls his eyes visibly, shoving his hands inside the pocket of his pastel pink jacket. 

 

“i want to hide them,” kyungsoo insists. jongin catches the slight hesitation in the other man’s voice, the slight question. he keeps his face and voice neutral though, opting for the stoic approach.

 

“really?” jongin raises an eyebrow. “you should enjoy makeup, you know? it’s something that should be fun for you.”

 

kyungsoo does not answer but he looks at the bottles in front of him and his bare face on the mirror. jongin transfers all the paper bags he is carrying in one hand before wrapping the free one around kyungsoo’s shoulder loosely. it’s a friendly gesture and he pulls kyungsoo towards a different brand.

 

he stands them on the tinted moisturizer section and kyungsoo eyes the tubes as jongin picks one with all the sunscreen and shit. he picks the one that he knows of as a bestseller and a cult favorite, handing that to kyungsoo. 

 

“this one’s nice,” he says.

 

“but this has…” kyungsoo pauses, looking at the tube in his hand. “… no coverage at all.”

 

“yep,” jongin pops the p. 

 

he opens the sample tube and puts a small amount on his index finger. he places the paper bags down and holds the back of kyungsoo’s neck. the smaller male holds himself still as jongin rubs the cream in circles to a patch of kyungsoo’s jaw. he caresses the skin littered with the freckles before jongin tilts kyungsoo’s head to the mirror, where he can see his face. 

 

“they’re still there,” kyungsoo says softly.

 

“that’s the point,” jongin laughs. “but look, this area of your skin looks healthier right.”

 

it does, jongin notes. this tinted moisturizer has maybe little to no coverage at all but it does brighten the face—not whiten—and makes it glow. jongin’s sister loves this and sehun loves it as well. jongin knows that his experience with makeup is more about how exposed he is to it, rather than personal interest. it’s all theory but jongin takes one of the makeup removers on wipes the part of the skin where he has put the moisturizer.

 

of course, the shade match is perfect. jongin is the son of his mother, after all. 

 

kyungsoo looks at the sample tube in jongin’s hand. he is biting his lip again, a nervous or thinking habit, as he eyes the display case.

 

jongin smiles encouragingly. baby steps, he thinks, as he offers an alternative. 

 

“they have good light to medium coverage foundation too. or full coverage ones if you really want them. i’m not sure how good they will cover your freckles up though but if you can’t cover them at all, then why not just let them be?” he ends it with a lift of one shoulder, placing the tube down and picking up the paper bags. 

 

jongin is turning towards the foundation section of another brand when he feels a hand grip the hem of the back of his suit. he pauses in his step, turning around to see kyungsoo looking down. 

 

“i want to—” kyungsoo pauses and visibly hesitates. he licks his upper lip quickly before continuing. “—to try the tinted moisturizer… um… just once. it feels—feels light on the face.”

 

“you like that?” jongin asks with a smile. he asks the sales lady at the side for the a brand new box of the same shade. from his periphery, he watches as the pads of kyungsoo’s fingers flutter over the the skin where he has put the moisturizer before and then the area below his glasses, as if feeling the patterns on his skin, with a soft smile.

 

jongin does not say anything but he keeps the smile in kyungsoo’s face in his mind, keeps it away for himself.

 

kyungsoo shakes his head but he looks up at jongin, smiling just a little bit. he answers, finally, “i don’t know but i like how it feels, more than my old foundation.”

 

jongin wants to tell kyungsoo that if he hates how the foundation has felt, then he should have replaced it already. but at the same time—at the same time, jongin _knows_ _and understands_. 

 

some things are just the way they are.

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

they end up eating at a hole-in-the-wall traditional korean restaurant close to the mall. the food is good and jongin quietly enjoys his spicy kimchi stew while kyungsoo makes noises of approval at his soft tofu stew.

 

they end up talking about each other and jongin gets the surprise of his life a few bites into their meal.

 

“what do you mean you’re older than me by a year?!” jongin cannot hide the slight raise in his tone, inflecting the exclamation.

 

“i am!” kyungsoo laughs. “we’re both juniors, but i’m older than you by a year.”

 

“so you’re my _hyung_?” jongin asks.

 

kyungsoo nods but he waves his hand off, “it’s fine. i don’t like being called _hyung_ or _oppa_ anyway. just call me kyungsoo like before.”

 

“i’ll do just that, mr. milk tea,” jongin replies. calling kyungsoo _hyung_ , after he has referred to him by his first name basis and talking to him in _banmal_ , is just plain weird. “wait—but you’re also a junior, right? like me?”

 

jongin is junior, as well as sehun. chanyeol, baekhyun, and yixing are all seniors. baekhyun has managed to fly under the radar for four years up until jongdae has hit chanyeol’s face with a cake on both their last years.

 

“yeah,” kyungsoo answers. he shoves a spoonful of rice in his mouth and carefully chews. his brows are expressive, telling jongin how happy kyungsoo is with their meal. once the apparently older man has swallowed, he finally adds, “i’m supposed to be senior too but i didn’t immediately enroll into freshman year?”

 

“you took a gap year?” jongin follows up. 

 

“gap year—no,” kyungsoo laughs. “kind of? well, my dad, he—”

 

kyungsoo stops and this time, he worries his bottom lip. jongin notes of of the hesitance rolling off of kyungsoo in waves—from his furrowed brows to his bitten lip and the way he fiddles with the chopsticks he is holding. 

 

jongin smiles slightly and says, “you don’t have to tell me, you know? i would hate to overstep.”

 

“ah,” kyungsoo makes a small sound before he chuckles again. the hesitance is slow to bleed out of him but the line of his narrow shoulders relaxes and his lip escapes the hold of kyungsoo’s teeth. 

 

“it’s not really a sob story or anything. but, um, my dad was laid off and grandpa got a little sick so we had to move back to his house to take care of him. money was a little tight so i put off university for a year,” kyungsoo explains. 

 

jongin admires how the older male is at ease talking about his family. in his friend group, only sehun can boast about having good relationship with his parents. they even buy the youngest actual gifts, not something picked out by a secretary or an assistant.

 

“and besides—” jongin is pulled out of his short musing when kyungsoo says again. he turns to stare at kyungsoo’s bright face and the smile that illuminates all of his features, like it’s a focal point. with his soft voice a low whisper, shyly, kyungsoo adds, “we’re friends, right, jongin?”

 

jongin pauses and he finds himself nodding slightly. he does not quite smile as he replies, “yeah. we are, kyungsoo. we’re friends.”

 

it takes jongin a blink, a heartbeat, less than counting a _one_ on the first freckle he sees on kyungsoo’s face, for him to realize how much he means that answer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> next chapter they're going to canada


	3. the art of comfort

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> thieves, that's what they are.

jongin wakes up feeling cold. he stretches his body and reaches his arms to the side. he finds no other person beside him; the sheets messed up and haphazard. jongin sighs and sits up, grabbing the glasses from his bedside table.

 

the world comes into focus and he stands up, moving his limbs to get them to wake up too. he picks up the longline robe hanging from the bench on the foot of the bed, shrugging it on but leaving it untied over his pajama pants and naked torso. he gets out of his bedroom after he manages to pick up his phone from the floor and heads to the kitchen on the first level of the penthouse.

 

jongin love-hates living here. on one hand, he is alone and away from the constant chatters of his family on the rare times that they are in the mansion. but on the other hand, being alone is a constant reminder of a space that has to be filled.

 

the kitchen is modern and state of the art, expensive and fully equipped with everything a chef will need. jongin can barely cook instant ramen so he pulls instant packaged rice from his pantry and prepared it as per the instruction. he hits the timer on the microwave and leans against the counter, watching the numbers trickle past. he debates making a tea but for jongin, tea is more than a drink. it is a whole production, a celebration. he does not want good tea to go to waste into washing the dirt and debauchery from last night. 

 

he has an entire row of refrigerator shelving filled with imported bottles of water so he takes one and uncaps the plastic, taking a swig of the cold drink. it makes him feel marginally human and jongin licks his lip, considering what to eat with the rice. there is nothing in the fridge that could be microwaved so he grabs the jar of kimchi from his maternal grandmother, a hundred-year old recipe that has survived occupations and wars. 

 

“shit,” he curses as he takes out the microwaved rice. he does not bother switching containers, instead fluffing the grains in its original packaging. jongin opens the kimchi jar and dumps a whole lot of the fermented vegetables over the steaming rice.

 

jongin stirs the mixture with his spoon and feels a wave of disappointment when he can’t find red pepper paste anywhere. he likes his meals a little bit on the spicier side. he finds two small packs of dried and salted seaweed sheets though so he takes it out and rips the plastic, dumping one pack over the rice but keeping the other in the plastic pack. jongin takes one of the sheets and munches as he digs his spoon into his makeshift breakfast. the bottle of water condenses over the marble of the counter top as jongin eats standing up, spoon digging into the microwavable cup of his instant rice.

 

his grandma’s kimchi masks how shitty the rice is, how sticky and watery it feels like in his mouth. jongin is sure that this instant rice is one step short of being a porridge.

 

he finishes it though because it’s his fault for being too lazy to grab anything more. he figures he can just get whatever fancy food they will offer him at VIP lounge of his family’s airline. jongin checks his phone and there are several texts from his friends—mostly from sehun, complaining about the modern pop art he has lost to a con woman.

 

jongin spares sehun no attention aside from a teasing _i told you so_. 

 

he opens his kakao talk and finds a number 3 beside do kyungsoo’s name and the assigned penguin emoji that jongin has placed after the characters. jongin taps the message and the field loads, clean and minimal, to display a photo of a packed suitcase and two more photos of kyungsoo and baekhyun together. the two of them are still in their pajamas, clearly just having been woken up like jongin.

 

he shoots a quick reply and a photo of his half finished water bottle. the other man does not reply as jongin continues to check some of the things that he has missed last night, when he has decided to hit some pricey gangnam club owned by a friend of a friend.

 

there is another message—this time, a text—and he is surprised to see a name he does not recognize. jongin clicks it and his eyebrows raise up to his hairline. that is bold of his partner from last night.

 

she has put her own number into jongin’s contact details, adding a flirty wink in her name. jongin can admit that he is amused and even her text— _let’s do that again, k?_ in a cutesy manner—should have, except, well. 

 

jongin clicks the contact details as he deletes the woman from his contact list.

 

it’s not like he remembers much of her. the only thing he probably knows about his one night stand is the fact that her perfume has irritated jongin’s nose a fuck ton.

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

sehun picks him up from his apartment building with their driver in tow. sehun’s staff places jongin’s goyard carefully in the trunk as another opens the door for him. 

 

“mornin’,” sehun greets him. the taller male is in a pair of oversized douchebag sunglasses so jongin assumes his best friend’s night is wilder than his own.

 

“good morning,” jongin greets back. he picks his phone inside the gucci bag strapped across his person, tapping the screen. it unlocks to jongin’s kakaotalk application and sehun, who is leaning over him, snorts.

 

“kyungsoo? isn’t that baekhyun’s best friend?” sehun inquires. jongin can practically hear sehun’s narrow eyes squinting despite the shield of his designer sunglasses.

 

“yes,” jongin replies curtly, shrugging his shoulder just a bit. “we text.”

 

“text?” sehun’s voice raise slightly in pitch as the car gets out of its park and streaks into the moderate traffic of seoul. they are heading out of the city, into incheon, for their plane to canada. 

 

“sms—short messaging service. kakaotalk. instagram,” jongin lists flatly. sehun is being ridiculous.

 

“you don’t _just_ text, kim kai,” sehun accusingly says. 

 

“well, i do,” jongin defends himself. he crosses his leg, right one over the other, his toes pointing towards sehun’s direction. “i’m not always scheming, oh sehun.”

 

“but when it comes to…” sehun trails off, meaningful. the weight of the last drag of his syllable is heavy in the air.

 

“it’s fine, oh.” jongin taps on his phone screen, fielding texts. yixing has sent to the group chat that he has also just left his own seoul mansion. chanyeol has kept quiet still, probably still rolling his eyes and grumbling to butler lee. 

 

jongin switches the subject and asks, “how’s chanyeol? yixing said anything?”

 

sehun raises his sunglasses just a little bit, giving the older man a slightly pressing stare as if he knows what jongin is doing. jongin knows that sehun knows and sehun knows all of that. the con with being friends for two decades is the fact that secrets cannot be kept.

 

the pro with being friends for two decades is the fact that sehun, as usual, will ignore it if he knows it is not his business to butt into, or there is no business whatsoever. 

 

“still being an idiot,” he replies. “let park chanyeol wallow in self pity in korea. we can enjoy british columbia with baekhyun and kyungsoo.”

 

“and—” jongin pointedly adds in a playful manner. “—the two other people that conned baekhyun into bringing with us.”

 

"that, too,” sehun chuckles.

 

jongin watches the sidewalks of the early morning city streak past, wondering if this trip is going to be different from the rest of the trip they have done before.

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

he and sehun gets to the airport first and they are being served by the smiling staff with plates of food. jongin gets a cup of tea, knowing that the VIP lounge has the highest quality of leaves—nothing less from his family’s airline, of course. he eats a scone with it and prepares it English with a cube of sugar and a splash of milk. jongin takes a teaspoon, six o’clock, and moves it to twelve, slow and methodical.

 

sehun orders a bloody mary with his sunglasses still on because he is shameless, even telling them to make it as effective as possible.

 

lay gets there a few minutes into jongin’s first cup. they exchange lofty greetings before his quiet best friend asks for a cup of coffee—two sugar cubes and no milk. jongin resists the urge to cringe when it gets served; the scent is offending him.

 

they only have to wait for a little more than ten minutes before two short figures arrive, escorted by a uniformed man working for the airline. jongin uncurls from his lazy position, uncrossing his right leg and placing both his feet on the expensive floors.

 

it's only the two of them, the two other supposed friends of baekhyun are not present. jongin inwardly sighs, feelings as if a crisis has been averted without them. he sees yixing smile out of the corner his eyes and considers that maybe, the usual innocent lay zhang has been up to something.

 

“heeey…” sehun drawls. he raises his half finished bloody mary and tilts his chin up. “so glad you two could come, yeah?”

 

baekhyun snorts as he gives sehun a judgmental stare, from the sunglasses to the obviously post hangover drink. 

 

“glad _you_ could come, oh sehun,” baekhyun snipes back. sehun laughs and yixing laughs too as he pats the seat beside him. jongin shoots yixing a look when his best friend scoots farther away from him leaving a space in the middle for the two new arrivals.

 

baekhyun walks over in his beige parka and jongin watches as the other man with baekhyun, kyungsoo, also takes a step forward. jongin smiles slightly at the sight; kyungsoo is wearing the new puffy coat he has bought. he looks like a pastel pink caterpillar, the padding reaching a few inches above his ankles and the lower half of the jacket left unbuttons to show loose pants underneath. he smiles inwardly when he notices kyungsoo's bare face, his freckles all for the world to see. 

 

“good morning, kyungsoo,” jongin greets as he moves a little to the side. 

 

kyungsoo takes a seat beside him as baekhyun starts eating the tea sandwiches served over the delicately painted porcelain. the VIP lounge means gourmet food over designer dinner ware despite the fact that one can hear jet engines rumbling from the tarmac.

 

the older man turns slightly to him, what with baekhyun still in a particularly animated conversation with yixing over music—perhaps?

 

“good morning,” kyungsoo replies softly. 

 

briefly, jongin wonders if kyungsoo’s soft and quiet nature is an environmental effect, a by product of years growing up, or if he has always been this way since birth, a calm and collected baby. 

 

“tea?” jongin asks, tilting his head to the table. kyungsoo nods and jongin gives another small smile as he reaches over to the tea pot. it’s freshly made, adjusted since the leaves have steeped too long. he holds the pot delicately and he places a strainer over one of the empty cups. jongin pours it gently until there is three-quarters of liquid in the cup. the steam wafts slightly in the air and jongin tilts his body to side, hand gesturing to the prepared drink. 

 

“please,” he says. 

 

kyungsoo chuckles and he reaches over to place three sugar cubes and a whole lot of milk that almost overflows. he takes a teaspoon and repeatedly stirs.

 

jongin’s eyes widen and his lips pursed. kyungsoo, evidently, sees the reaction and his low chuckles turn into short giggles, eyes disappearing into curls.

 

he carefully lifts the cup, pinky extended outwards, blowing over the steam before he takes a long sip. he makes a satisfied noise, holding an _aahhh_ a second too long.

 

jongin wraps one hand over kyungsoo’s and he brings the pinky finger down.

 

“that’s not proper tea etiquette,” he says, voice neutral but vaguely scolding. “and you shouldn’t have put all those sugar and milk in. stirring it like that was bad too.”

 

jongin is blunt and he only realizes the blunder when it is too late. it’s something born out of habit, and maybe personality too. he tends to be nit-picky. his best friends has learned to roll with it, taking it as a part of kim jongin that is equal parts annoying and endearing. kyungsoo is probably insulted, what with jongin being a little know-it-all.

 

kyungsoo stares at jongin and to jongin’s surprise, the other man laughs slightly. he brinks the tea cup down and wiggles his bushy eyebrows.

 

“that offends your tea expertise, master?” kyungsoo playfully asks.

 

he expects kyungsoo to look at him with disdain but there is nothing but openness in his expression—from the curved eyes to the big smile on his face, heart-shaped and gummy and slowly growing familiar, taking a root somewhere inside jongin. 

 

_oh_. 

 

he pauses before raising one eyebrow, as if in challenge.

 

jongin scoffs playfully, remarking, “not really—i expected nothing less from you, mr. milk tea.”

 

kyungsoo laughs again and jongin doesn’t quite smile but he reaches over another small plate, and places the sweetest pastry he can find. it’s a small danish topped with butter cream and strawberry compote, and a mini blueberry flavored scone.

 

“here,” he places it in front of kyungsoo. “you obviously have a sweet tooth.”

 

“i do!” kyungsoo titters as he places the tea down and lifts the pastry into his mouth. he eats half of the danish in one go and lets out a little tinkling laugh as the strawberry compote spills down his chin.

 

jongin reaches for a napkin and places it under kyungsoo’s face, catching the piece of strawberry sliding down. 

 

“be careful,” jongin tuts. 

 

kyungsoo blushes a fierce red as he grabs the soft fabric out of jongin’s hand. the dots on kyungsoo's face are stark against the flustered hue. the tip of his index finger brushes against jongin’s knuckles as he grips the napkin and wipes his face with it. 

 

“sorry,” the older male mumbles, swallowing the piece of confection that he has been chewing, as he cleans his chin of the red syrup. he shoves the remaining pastry into his mouth before he wipes his mouth and chin again with the edge of the soft cloth.

 

“you’re a messy eater,” jongin observes. 

 

he crosses his leg towards kyungsoo’s side and leans his elbow on top of his knee. he cradles the side of his face with the back of his hand, eyes firmly trained on kyungsoo. the other male’s cheeks are bunched up with the amount of pastry he has mercilessly shoved in there and jongin resists the urge to laugh at the other’s face. 

 

“not usually,” kyungsoo protests. or at least, jongin sort of interprets the gurgle out of kyungsoo’s mouth as such. he sees the short man swallow and reach for his tea.

 

kyungsoo takes a sip that is more dignified but the tips of his ears give him away. the lobes are all red. 

 

“you’re blushing,” jongin says again. kyungsoo refuses to look at him and one corner of his lips quirks up.

 

“i am embarrassed,” kyungsoo pointedly says. he downs most of the tea in one go and places it back on the low table. 

 

“you don’t have to be,” jongin stresses. he places an emphasis on the _don’t_. “it’s adorable, really. just don’t spill anything on your new coat.”

 

kyungsoo nods but his face blooms into a small smile that begins tentatively. the slight flush on his round cheeks look attractive with the baby pink jacket he is wearing. it’s a good match, like the color is seeping through everywhere. 

 

“by the way,” kyungsoo says, looking at jongin’s face. “i haven’t thanked you for this… um… so yeah. thank you.”

 

“it’s no problem,” jongin replies with a shrug. he picks up his tea and takes a careful sip before adding, “we want you and baekhyun to go have fun with us.”

 

“still—” kyungsoo pauses before he sighs but the sound is not resigned, a little contented, perhaps. “—it’s both our first time out of korea and… in first class, too. we probably wouldn’t have afforded it on our own so… thank you. again.”

 

the slight awe bleeds out of kyungsoo voice and jongin preens a little inside, but does not show it outwardly. 

 

“you’re saying thank you a lot,” jongin answers instead. he keeps his tone level but allows a hint of teasing in it, just so kyungsoo does not feel like he is being an asshole or anything like that. jongin is just built more stoic than most. 

 

“because i am, jongin,” kyungsoo gives him another smile. “i know you own the plane and all that but i’m glad you still let us pay, even if we're only supposed to be in economy.”

 

jongin waves kyungsoo off, lifting one shoulder slightly. “i gave you an upgrade,” he says. 

 

that is true enough because he knows kyungsoo—and baekhyun—won’t stand for jongin paying for everything, despite that fact that he is not really paying for anything. it’s complicated—business ownership and all that. so what he does is get the two charged for economy and he and sehun have both used their flight mileage to get them an upgrade. jongin does not know if that is allowed, exactly, but well, kyungsoo has a point. he (sort of) owns the plane. 

 

“it’s no matter,” jongin adds. “as i’ve said, i want you to have fun in canada too.”

 

kyungsoo nods with a smile and takes a couple of pastries, placing it over the fine serving china. he brings the plate up between him and jongin and pushes it slightly to the taller man’s direction.

 

“eat up,” kyungsoo says. jongin takes a small scone and bites into the delicate biscuit, finding it sweeter than usual—but not in a bad way.

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

the flight to canada is peaceful, with no major turbulent or whatever. jongin is sitting close to the aisle with kyungsoo across him. baekhyun is beside the smaller male and jongin can hear them laughing while peering over kyungsoo’s iPad, probably watching something. jongin spends most of the flight reading and sneaking glances at his neighbors before he falls asleep.

 

jongin has arranged two private cars to bring them over to chanyeol’s chalet. the five of them opt to stay together in one so the other just brings along their luggage. the car ride through the roads of british columbia is quiet, punctuated with light snores from a still sleeping sehun and yixing. all of them are tired and no one has bothered to start a conversation.

 

when they get to the chalet, jongin and the others are pleasantly surprised to see—

 

“park chanyeol!” baekhyun barks. “what are you doing here?”

 

chanyeol smirks as he takes a sip of his freezing drink. the tim hortons logo is winking at them and jongin rolls his eyes in fondness as his best friend scoffs.

 

“you’re all late—and what about me being here, baekhyun?” chanyeol remarks. “this is my house. i can visit whenever i want.”

 

jongin hears sehun snort as kyungsoo whispers to himself, “park chanyeol, huh.” jongin sidles up closer to kyungsoo as yixing walks to the collection of frozen drinks, taking one for himself.

 

“how did you even get here before us?” jongin asks. he _would_ have known if chanyeol gets a flight earlier than them.

 

“private plane, dude,” chanyeol replies nonchalantly. “my family may not own fleets of planes yours but i have _one_ on call. i have to, like, wake my pilot up in the middle of the night though. this was pretty impromptu.”

 

baekhyun gives a disbelieving huff, and jongin peers at the other man to see him rolling his eyes. 

 

“ _impromptu_ ,” he scoffs. “you said you’re not going to be here!”

 

“well, byun baekhyun,” chanyeol says. he stresses every word, turning sharp eyes to baekhyun’s direction. he stands up and leans down so he is eye level with the short man. jongin watches in anticipation. finally, his favorite soap opera is back.

 

chanyeol adds, curling every syllable carefully, “i changed my mind.”

 

baekhyun laughs in frustration. “ _changed my mind_ —my ass!”

 

chanyeol makes an annoyed face and he is about to open his mouth—jongin hopes he makes a joke about baekhyun’s ass, deviate from the soap opera script a little—when a gentle voice lilts through the din.

 

“can you two stop flirting?” yixing says, sipping his cold drink.

 

“who says we’re flirting?!” baekhyun and chanyeol both scream. jongin and sehun exchange a look and a snicker. kyungsoo is still looking half amused and half confused. 

 

“ _we’re not!”_ they both add, as if they haven’t proved that they are nothing if _not_ flirting. 

 

“ _ugh_ ,” baekhyun groans in frustration, shaking his body as well. “let’s go, kyungsoo!”

 

baekhyun stomps and pulls kyungsoo away from the chaos. the short-haired brunette turns his back and gives all of them a cute wave, baekhyun’s incoherent ranting being drowned as they walk away.

 

jongin chuckles to himself as he sits down beside yixing. sehun does so too and chanyeol follows. all of them occupy a large space, what with being tall and their habit of careless manspreading. jongin only becomes like this with his friends because with his family, anything less than prim and proper is frowned upon and brought up.

 

“chanyeol,” he says slyly. “just admit that you want to enjoy this trip with baekhyun, too.”

 

the tallest of the four scoffs.

 

“ _please_ ,” chanyeol rolls his eyes, aggressively grabbing his drink. “i want to enjoy _canada_ _with the three of you_.”

 

sehun laughs, smirking. “last year,” he rolls his shoulders and leans into chanyeol’s space. “you said you hated canada and that we should go find a new winter vacation spot.”

 

“you suggested switzerland, i remember,” yixing adds. “you said we could splurge on a ski resort.”

 

“ _shut up!”_ chanyeol angrily protests, defending himself. jongin chuckles. “you three are being assholes again! go take a shower and sleep, uglies!”

 

“oh my god,” sehun says. jongin hears the amusement in his best friend’s voice. “fine, yeol. we’re going.”

 

sehun stands up and jongin follows too. they won’t be sharing a room—this place has enough, but he figures he does need a sleep and a shower. it’s still extremely bright and early, the clock on the wall shows that it is only half an hour into nine in the morning. 

 

“lay?” jongin asks, turning his body back. “coming with us?”

 

yixing shrugs, lifting the plastic cup. “i’m going to finish this drink first.”

 

“suit yourself,” jongin replies, walking away from the living area and into the bedrooms upstairs. sehun is already half way through, humming a happy tune that hopefully means that this will be a good trip.

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

jongin gets out of the shower and the light filters slightly through the window and paints a part of the room with reds and oranges. the sun is setting already and the snow has piled up considerably outside. they have spent yesterday trying to shrug the last clings of jet lag and this day is all about enjoying the cold snow, practically rolling over in their winter gear. he and sehun have gone back to the chalet, offering to escort kyungsoo who is already feeling cold. 

 

chanyeol, baekhyun, and yixing have all stayed outside, continuing to be the best soap opera that jongin has ever known even out of everyone else’s sight. he casts a worried glance to the window as he dries his hair, wearing nothing but a towel on. the sky is slowly getting dark and jongin is worried that the snow fall will intensify.

 

whistler has always been a prime destination for skiing and snow related activities though so he shakes the slight paranoia off, knowing full well that the area is safe enough, whatever happens. 

 

he dresses warmly in his black and white gingham wool trousers and dark socks. he puts a cotton long sleeved tee and tucks it in before he picks a maroon turtleneck out of the closet where he has unpacked his clothes. the knit turtleneck is tight, clinging to every line of jongin’s body. he carefully tucks it inside his pants too, unbuttoning and unzipping himself to arrange the fabrics tucked into the trouser pair.

 

jongin places his glasses on and carefully slips a gucci belt through the hoops of his pants, the metal hook and the buckle all clicking and falling into place. he eyes himself in the mirror, hair down and falling over his eyes, before he grabs some product and pushes it away from his face to expose his forehead.

 

he gives himself a once over and likes what he sees. appearance is always important, despite the fact that the only people in the house are sehun and kyungsoo, aside from him. he leaves the room with his phone and as he heads to the hallway to go downstairs, he runs into sehun.

 

his best friend is dressed like he is, house slippers on his sock clad feet and a full louis vuitton ensemble.

 

“want to grab a drink?” sehun asks, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively. “you know we have free reign over this chalet’s wine cellar, right?”

 

“sure,” jongin shrugs. 

 

he is in no capacity an expert but he does know the basics, and has good taste buds honed from years of learning the art of tea. the wine cellar in the basement is in no way big—definitely not as big as the collection that jongin’s paternal grandfather keeps or even the one in sehun’s family. the wines are owned by chanyeol’s sister, yoora, who has given them a free pass to go to town with the liquor. 

 

they head downstairs and in the middle of cutting up fruits and arranging plates of cheese and crackers, footsteps approach the kitchen.

 

“oh. hi, jongin. hi, sehun.” kyungsoo emerges into the space with a smile. he is dressed down like the both of them in a soft-looking and heavy knit sweater and a pair of loose pants cuffed multiple times. he still looks comfortable and jongin stops a little, still sometimes surprised and drawn to the marks on kyungsoo's face.

 

“hey, kyungsoo,” sehun greets. jongin gives a short nod as he butchers up cutting the assortment of fruits.

 

“are you having a snack?” kyungsoo asks. he peers in closely at the bad attempt that jongin is doing at cutting up.

 

“sort of,” jongin replies. “we’re going to taste some wines in the cellar. want to join us?”

 

jongin places the cut up fruits on the large plate and sehun finishes putting the cheeses on another, lifting a piece up and offering it to kyungsoo. kyungsoo dutifully opens his mouth as sehun shoots a piece of hard cheddar like it’s a basketball.

 

the tea expert rolls his eyes at the display as sehun cheers and kyungsoo claps.

 

“if i won’t be too much of a bother,” kyungsoo replies giddily. his hands have disappeared through the sleeves of his sweater, jongin notices, as the short man places his arms in front of him.

 

“you won’t be,” sehun replies. he turns to jongin with a crooked grin, adding, “right, jongin? you wouldn’t have invited do kyungsoo is he was, yeah?”

 

jongin nods and kyungsoo bounds up beside them, grabbing the plate of fruits. sehun grabs the one full of crackers and cheese while jongin cleans the mess and leaves them all in the sink for later.

 

they head downstairs to the temperature controlled cellar. there is a table in the middle and comfortable seats. sehun and kyungsoo sit down while jongin stands up, perusing the shelves of alcohol. there are no more than 100 bottles here, and some of the drinks are aged far too old for them to even touch just because. 

 

he finds a bottle of red that he wants and he takes it out of the shelf carefully. jongin likes the full bodied ones, better if they are paired with meat. he tilts his head and considers before he calls out, “kyungsoo?”

 

“yeah?” kyungsoo turns around in his seat, in the middle of talking to sehun about plants.

 

“are you a wine person?” he asks.

 

kyungsoo laughs to himself slightly. “if you consider the ones you can get from grocery stores.”

 

jongin has never—tasted wine bought from the supermarket so he figures kyungsoo’s taste buds are pretty much newbies. he walks towards the other end of the shelving unit and takes a sweeter red. he grabs a white wine too, just so they can have an all-around experience, and tucks the bottle into the curve of his elbow.

 

he places all of them on top of the table and jongin plugs his phone to the speakers and picks the playlist he usually plays every time he is reading. he lowers the volume down and goes back to the table.

 

the beginnings of some jazz composition plays and sehun makes a groaning noise, complaining.

 

“i really hate your music, kim kai.”

 

“kim kai?” kyungsoo turns to look at them both, to his right and left, as he is stuck in the middle.

 

“me,” jongin tilts his head slightly in acknowledgment. “some nickname i got when i was a child. only sehun calls me that nowadays.”

 

“ah,” kyungsoo nods in understanding. he looks at sehun and adds, “but i like jongin’s music. it’s calming.”

 

“you won’t say that—” sehun starts to uncork one of the bottle of red wines that jongin has handed to him. “—when you hear this type of music play during sex.”

 

kyungsoo chokes on nothing but air and jongin gives sehun a harsh glare. the intimidating look would have worked on anyone else but this is oh sehun, jongin’s best friend for two decades.

 

“ignore him, kyungsoo,” jongin says with a roll of his eyes. “he’s just saying that because he listens to shitty EDMs. he and chanyeol both.”

 

“it’s not shitty!” sehun defends as he hands the bottle back to jongin. he slowly pours a little amount to one glass before he hands it to kyungsoo.

 

“this one is called a lambrusco,” he says, pronouncing the words carefully, eating the letter r at the end with a curl of his tongue. “it’s semi-sweet so i think you’ll like it.”

 

the bottle jongin has opened is straight from a vineyard in italy, from a friend of yoora’s. it’s one of the higher quality lambruscos out in the market despite that fact that yoora himself calls this _no more than grape juice_. jongin is inclined to agree but the father of the friend who has given this to yoora is a luxury sports car manufacturer so the lambrusco earns a space amidst wines that are one hundred years old. 

 

kyungsoo takes a sip and he smiles into the glass, remarking, “i like this one. do you like it too?” he turns to look at both jongin and sehun.

 

sehun lifts his shoulders with a shrug. “kyungsoo, as long as i get drunk—but i prefer thirty year old whiskies, if you’re wondering. or white wines.” sehun opens the other bottle with relish, pouring a glass for himself.

 

the obviously flies over kyungsoo’s head as he takes another drink of his wine. sehun uncorks the other red, a cabernet sauvignon that is finely aged.

 

“this one is my favorite,” jongin says as he pours the wine into his own. “this is a forty year old sauvignon. i have something older in my own wine cellar but this would have to do.” jongin picks wine glass at the stem, holding it close to the base. he takes a small inhale as he sips, rolling the taste over his tongue.

 

he grabs a piece of hard cheese, eating it afterwards. kyungsoo gives him and the bottle a curious glance. jongin offers his own glass to kyungsoo, “want to try?”

 

kyungsoo nods and he grips the glass higher, before his free hand reaches to hold the cup. he curls his fingers where the stem meets the glass and jongin, for a moment, wants to correct kyungsoo’s etiquette but he stops and holds himself.

 

etiquette can wait—kyungsoo looks adorable as he drinks the wine, making an offended face.

 

“this doesn’t taste good,” he says.

 

jongin shrugs. “you usually drink that while eating. it’s a table wine, taken with your food. cheese can work too but red meats are better.”

 

sehun hums and interjects, “kim kai is a wine _connoisseur_.” jongin rolls his eyes at sehun’s overly exaggerated pronunciation.

 

“i’m not,” he shakes his head. “chanyeol’s older sister, yoora, told me to maintain this wine cellar so i did. i did it for my grandfather too. he has a bigger collection that this one—and older.”

 

sehun nods and gripes, “his grandpa from the father side has this wine from, like, the 1900s. he won it in an auction, i think.”

 

the tallest of the three is right, of course. jongin has seen the wine bottle but it has remained unopened until now. his grandfather often says that he will only drink it with jongin’s future wife first, before his own grandson.

 

jongin knows it is a subtle reminder that jongin has to settle down and get married before grandpa finally kicks the metaphorical bucket.

 

they continue to talk about different things. kyungsoo settles for the cheap lambrusco, with jongin occasionally making him drink the cabernet sauvignon. kyungsoo likes it paired with a small cube of aged cheddar.

 

jongin never notices that he is sharing his own wine glass until sehun’s perfectly maintained eyebrows raise up to his hairline, a soft “huh,” escaping out of him.

 

he gives the tallest male a glare with pursed lips as kyungsoo abandons the wine completely, opting to snack on the fruits.

 

“you’re sharing…” sehun nods to the glass that jongin is holding. jongin shakes his head.

 

“not another word,” he says tightly. kyungsoo turns to look at him with a questioning glance as jongin softens his tone, giving the short man a reply, “it’s nothing, kyungsoo.”

 

kyungsoo shrugs as he continues to eat the cuts of fruits and cheeses, scrolling through his phone. he and sehun have themselves playing some sort of online game while drinking wine. jongin rolls his shoulders and sits back, watches the other two curse each other.

 

if he is staring more at kyungsoo than at sehun, then jongin can only ever defend himself. sehun is ugly, anyway. his face is no competition against kyungsoo’s.

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

the three of them come up from the basement all giggly and happy. sehun is clinging to kyungsoo’s large knitted sweater, fingers fisting the material as he laughs like a kid. jongin goes ahead of the other two and meets yixing removing his warm jacket with the door of the coat closet open.

 

“yixing,” he says. “you’re back?”

 

“yeah,” the man answers shortly. his eyes dart around the space, trying to find something. jongin hears sehun and kyungsoo’s footsteps quiet down behind him. yixing adds, “where’s yeol and baekhyun?”

 

jongin blanches. 

 

“what do you mean? aren’t those two with you?” he has left the three on the ski slopes, going back with sehun and kyungsoo to the house. 

 

“no. we got—we got separated. the snow—” yixing looks outside again, to the large windows of the house close to the living area. jongin’s eyes follow the older man’s gaze, surprised to see that during the time they have spent wine tasting, the snowfall has started rampaging.

 

“are they…” sehun pipes up, trailing off. 

 

“they were following me, i was sure of it.” yixing looks determined as he steps inside the house. “they were behind me before we got separated.”

 

“should we wait?” sehun asks.

 

“we should,” jongin replies tightly. he gazes at the blizzard that is already starting to gain traction outside the warm comforts of the house. “let’s wait for this storm to let out.”

 

he gets twin nods from yixing and sehun as the other steps into the living room. sehun follows him and kyungsoo stands there, biting his lower lip. he is looking at the front door worriedly.

 

“kyungsoo,” jongin says. he nudges the small of kyungsoo’s back with his hand, palm flat against the curve of the older man’s spine, over the thick knit of the large sweater. he can see kyungsoo’s right hand twitching from where it is covered completely by the sleeve. 

 

“go to the living room,” jongin adds.

 

“but baekhyun…”

 

“is with chanyeol,” jongin continues with resolve. “they’ll be back before we even get too far trying to find them.”

 

kyungsoo nods, looking up to search jongin’s face. jongin sees the worry clouding kyungsoo’s usually bright eyes and he gives a small smile, hoping that it reassures the short man out of his worries.

 

“okay," kyungsoo says. 

 

there is dinner already cooked for them—slow roasted lamb and steamed vegetables. there is a warm pot of eggnog for all of them but jongin does not offer anyone dinner, watching their faces in the living room. he sits down beside kyungsoo, sandwiching the small man between him and sehun. yixing is in one armchair, looking at the window.

 

jongin can notice the dip in the room when the wind howls particularly loud. the windows rattle and sehun pulls the sleeve of his sweater, checking the time.

 

“it’s been thirty-five minutes,” he says. he sounds worried too as he glances at jongin, helpless. kyungsoo turns his eyes at jongin as well but before he can give them an answer, yixing stands up, heading to the phone to the side table. 

 

he dials something and patiently waits until the call is picked up.

 

“ _good evening. this is lay zhang_ ,” he says in perfect english, tone level and practiced. “ _two of my friends are still not back from their ski trip. we got separated close to the slopes an hour or so ago but i managed to walk back home. my friends are still not here_.”

 

yixing’s face slowly turns grim and jongin’s stomach drops at his best friend’s next words.

 

“ _you can’t go out and find them?_ ” there is a tinge of panic in his voice. jongin chances a look at kyungsoo. the short man probably won’t catch the slight worry in yixing’s voice but for him and sehun it is as clear as day.

 

“ _i understand. yes, thank you_ ,” yixing replies before finally replaces the phone on the receiver.

 

“they advised us to stay inside,” the musical prodigy says. “the blizzard won’t calm down until early dawn, at the earliest. they said not to risk it.”

 

“baekhyun,” kyungsoo whispers to himself before he stands up. he looks ahead and brushes his hands over his sweater. his fingers are trembling. “i’m going to find my best friend.”

 

jongin stands up as well, quick to hold kyungsoo by the elbow before he can even take a step.

 

“no," he says tightly. “didn’t you just hear what yixing said? the snow storm is too much, kyungsoo. don’t be stubborn.”

 

“jongin!” kyungsoo jerks away. “that’s my best friend stuck in the cold right there. he could die.”

 

kyungsoo’s voice breaks several times as tears start to gather in his eyes. he quickly wipes it off with the sleeve of his sweater. 

 

“fine,” jongin says. it can’t be helped then. kyungsoo looks like a gust of snow will topple him over. “i’ll go with you.”

 

he hears sehun make an audible protest with a curse.

 

“are you two stupid?” he says flatly before adding, “i’m going with you too. strength in numbers and shit.”

 

jongin turns to yixing. “i would go with you three, of course.” his voice is level once more, no hint of anything. jongin can see yixing’s hands balled into tight fists, showing through his real feelings.

 

“i would like to go out and find them,” he says. “but that’s not the best decision right now. the best thing to do is wait for them and hope that they’re both together.”

 

jongin tightens his hold on kyungsoo’s elbow. the pads of his fingers dig through the soft material of the sweater. 

 

“lay is right,” jongin says. “kyungsoo, we can’t go out there. if even the patrols are saying they can’t, then surely—”

 

kyungsoo whimpers lowly but the tension in his shoulders bleed out as it is replaced by defeat. he does not sit down, just slumps with his back bent. jongin hovers over him, wondering how someone can look so—tiny. 

 

"let's have dinner,” yixing says, heading off to the dining area. “and then go to bed quickly. i’ll try and call back the patrol later but for now, we should eat.”

 

the dread in jongin’s gut protests at the idea of food but he thinks that might have been the wine. he comforts himself at the thought that if anything, chanyeol and baekhyun are both resilient enough for a mere snow storm.

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

after dinner, all four of them have stayed in the living area for two hours more. in the span of that, yixing has repeatedly called the patrol, asking questions. every single time, he is shot down by the other person on the line. a shake of a head and they are all back to square one. jongin has been sitting quietly, wound up tight. 

 

the last phone call has them all sighing in relief, maybe breathing in the hope that the message has been relayed to them.

 

“the storm has gone from bad to worse,” yixing has started. “but apparently, there is a small shack close to the slope where i last saw them. hopefully, they are both there. the patrol would check there as soon as possible.”

 

jongin does not bother asking what yixing has meant, exactly, by the word _close_. if ‘close’ means a few meters or a few miles. that gets through the rest of the evening, until sehun lets out a yawn and jongin suggests they all go to bed.

 

kyungsoo still looks hesitant as he sits there on the couch in a small ball. 

 

“let's go, kyungsoo,” jongin stands up, tapping the older man at his narrow shoulder. “to bed.”

 

kyungsoo nods and he uncurls himself as he heads upstairs, following the three taller men. they part at the top landing, with kyungsoo going on the opposite wing of the house. he stays there with baekhyun, sharing one room, with their bedroom beside chanyeol’s. just yesterday, sehun and jongin have been teasing chanyeol about the arrangements.

 

but now—

 

jongin shakes his head, tells himself his two friends are okay. he does everything as usual. he takes a warm shower, dries his hair, and dresses himself up in matching pajamas, navy blue with white pinstripes. 

 

as he gets underneath the warm comforter on top of his bed, jongin does not quite pray but it is a close thing.

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

he wakes up to darkness.

 

jongin rolls over and checks the time on his phone. it is past two in the morning and the snow storm has calmed down judging by what he can see from his bedroom window. he gets up and throws on the first thing he can find, a gucci hoodie that is lying around, before he heads out. he wants to get something warm to drink, maybe root around if chanyeol has chamomile tea. hopefully it’s in a bag because jongin is not mood to do anything elaborate. he just wants tea and his grandmother is not here to see him placing a tea bag into the hot water.

 

jongin does just that and he finishes his tea quickly, not even savoring the taste and just enjoying the warmth. it does nothing to calm his nerves but he cleans his mug and replaces it from where he has found the ceramic before going back upstairs.

 

he freezes up.

 

kyungsoo is standing on one of the steps, caught red handed, judging by his wide eyes and the way he is buttoning himself up in his ankle length baby pink padded jacket. it’s a sight for sore eyes and jongin squints, mouth curling.

 

“where are you going?” he hisses. he takes a step up, and another, and stops below kyungsoo. with the difference from the stairs, the both of them are the same height, or close. jongin sees eye to eye with kyungsoo, who is looking anywhere but.

 

“i’m going to go find baekhyun and chanyeol,” the older man bites out.

 

“are you crazy?” jongin can’t help but blurt out. he is tired and sleepy and worried as fuck and here kyungsoo is, adding to all of that with his stupid shenanigans at two in the morning. what would have happened if jongin is not awake?

 

“i need to find them, jongin,” kyungsoo says.

 

“you know you can’t,” jongin hisses back. he grips kyungsoo in the forearm, his fingers do not meet this time, what with the thick padding and all. “the storm may have stopped but it’s dark. you don’t know what can happen to you outside.”

 

kyungsoo shrugs. “i don’t care. i’m going to find them.”

 

jongin lets out a mirthless laugh. “why are you so stubborn? you want to find them, then fine. wait for me here and i’ll dress up. we’ll find them together.”

 

kyungsoo’s eyes become even bigger, comically bugging out of their sockets. 

 

“it’s dangerous!” the short man says. 

 

“it is,” jongin lifts one shoulder. “which is why i’m coming with you. if you don’t want me to go outside, then stay here. you yourself know that it’s dangerous, kyungsoo. the last thing anyone needs is you going missing.”

 

jongin can’t keep the scolding tone out of his voice. he is normally calmer than this, level-headed, but the thought of kyungsoo going out in the darkness scares the shit out of him. it worries jongin to think that kyungsoo can be in danger too.

 

he sighs and says, “i’m sorry.”

 

kyungsoo purses his lips but the fight leaves his form as he ducks his head down. “i’m sorry, too. i don’t—i’m not thinking. i can’t—can’t even sleep. i’m worried.”

 

jongin reaches over to pat kyungsoo in the head. his hair is still short, finally growing out of it’s buzz cut. it’s still not much, kyungsoo has only stopped getting the strands shaved regularly two weeks ago.

 

jongin runs his fingers through them, the length inconsequential. he thinks _fuck it_ before pulling kyungsoo into a hug. there are too many layers between them as kyungsoo falls into jongin’s embrace. the taller man wraps his arms quickly around kyungsoo’s form, tight as if he won’t let go.

 

“we all are,” he whispers against kyungsoo’s temple. kyungsoo is still against his body before he slowly leans into jongin’s chest. “but we have to trust them kyungsoo.” he swallows before adding, “stay here. don’t make me worry over you.”

 

there is a hitch in kyungsoo’s breathing, surprised. jongin, too, is caught off guard by his words, by the transparency and rawness of what he has just said. it’s past two in the morning and here they are, on the stairs, worrying over their idiot friends.

 

jongin pulls away but he holds kyungsoo close still. a part of him is scared that kyungsoo will disappear or that the other man will bolt and run outside, out in the dark where jongin knows something can hurt kyungsoo.

 

“i’m sorry,” kyungsoo says again. jongin notices that his eyes are red rimmed, probably crying because of baekhyun. if chanyeol and baekhyun come back alive, _jongin is going to kill them himself_.

 

jongin shakes his head, wordlessly brushing kyungsoo’s apology. he does not need an apology—he needs kyungsoo inside the house, _safe and warm_.

 

“do you want to go to your room? you’re alone, right?” jongin’s fingers move to grasp kyungsoo’s wrists, telling himself that it is so kyungsoo won’t run away. 

 

kyungsoo pauses before he nods, hesitant at first. jongin pushes the older man up, herding him towards his supposedly shared bedroom. it feels like one crisis has been averted, now that they are at the shorter man’s bedroom. 

 

he closes the door with a resounding click before he turns towards kyungsoo.

 

“go to sleep,” he says. kyungsoo is shedding his clothes on and jongin does not know whether to laugh or cry as kyungsoo peels his layers off, to reveal that he even has pajamas underneath it all. 

 

this man, he thinks fondly and frustratedly, is reckless and loyal.

 

they get under the covers quickly—jongin staying in baekhyun’s bed. kyungsoo is the one who turns the lights off and by the time darkness has enveloped them again, jongin can only whisper a soft, “they’re going to be okay, kyungsoo.”

 

he is sure that kyungsoo has replied. it is maybe something along the lines of _i believe you_ and _thank you_.

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

jongin wakes up first, six o’clock on the dot. he turns and sees kyungsoo sleeping peacefully like a baby, despite the fact that he is frowning and his eyes are shut too tight. his fists are curled close to his cheeks and jongin savors the moment, just a little bit, before he stands up and fixes the bed. he grabs the hoodie he has discarded last night as he carefully slips out of the bedroom, careful not to wake kyungsoo up.

 

he heads to his own room and hits the showers again, staying a little too long to distract himself out of thinking. he hasn’t heard a peep inside the other parts of the house and he leans his head back, savoring the warm spray of the water.

 

jongin finishes quickly and dresses warmly in a yellow gosha rubchinsky sweater and loose navy blue trousers and a pair of similar colored socks. he opts for his glasses too, feeling too lazy to pop his contacts in. he pushes his hair back and takes his phone, getting outside of his bedroom.

 

the first thing he sees in the living area is yixing already dressed, picking up the phone. jongin sits down beside him as they wait to call. no one answers at first and at the second try. before yixing can even dial the third time, sehun stumbles down the stairs, dressed and looking sleepy, being followed by kyungsoo too.

 

kyungsoo looks marginally awake in his light washed jeans and large baby blue turtleneck. there is a beanie perched on his head with a pompom on top.

 

he sits beside jongin and leans in to whisper, “can we go and find them now, please, jongin?”

 

kyungsoo sounds like he is half way into begging and jongin sighs, places his hand over kyungsoo’s knee.

 

“after the call,” he nods towards yixing who is now dialing. a sleepy sehun is drifting on one of lay’s shoulders. “we should see what the patrol would say first.”

 

yixing finally connects the call and he rushes out the same spiel he has been saying since last night—that he has two male friends who are still outside and haven’t returned since last night after they have gotten separated close the a ski slope.

 

“yes, really?” yixing perks up. “are you sure, ma’am? yes! you found two men in—yes… yes… thank you so much.”

 

sehun looks more awake now that the phone call is over as yixing finally breaks out into a soft smile.

 

“they got radio confirmation that they found two men in a shack close to the slope. they’re going to be given first aid before they could go back here. they said not to worry and everything is under control.”

 

jongin hears the audible sigh that kyungsoo lets out and he squeezes the older man’s knee in comfort.

 

“i told you, right?” he says. “it’s going to be fine.”

 

kyungsoo nods and he beams up at jongin, “you did, jongin.”

 

jongin, too, breathes a sigh of relief. the knot in his stomach slowly untangles as he watches kyungsoo smile widely, ridiculous beige pompom on top of his head and all that. 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

chanyeol and baekhyun get home after that and sehun clings to jongin, pretending he is weak and cold. jongin purposely deepens his voice, replying with a _“let me get naked and share body heat with you, byun baekhyun, even if that is scientifically unnecessary_.”

 

they get a stomping chanyeol screaming and calling them bastards, looking a little flustered.baekhyun denies it to hell and baekhyun, swearing up and down that they survive because they are survivors and not because of anything that involves getting naked before giving everyone twin middle fingers.

 

they all agree that he and baekhyun are in good health, considering the fact that they can still act like assholes to everyone. 

 

after dinner time, gathered around the table, jongin is fiddling with the camera on his lap, perusing the photos he has taken. yixing is sitting down on the grand piano a few feet away from him as sehun walks into the room carrying two mugs.

 

he hands the blue one to kyungsoo and says, “this is mulled wine. the recipe is a secret from my mother and only the oh family can know what is in it.”

 

jongin snorts. “you put everything you can find in the fridge with a few sticks of cinnamon.” 

 

sehun turns to jongin with a juvenile face as kyungsoo laughs at the exchange, taking the mug from sehun’s hand. he wraps his fingers around the warm ceramic and he brings it up to his face. the steam wafts up as he blows into it, and fogs his round glasses.

 

kyungsoo makes a soft frustrated noise as he takes the specs off of his face and places the mug down the coffee table. he removes his glasses off as he picks up the mug again, blowing into the spiced wine slightly.

 

“so kyungsoo,” sehun sidles up to the older man before he plops down beside kyungsoo on the couch. kyungsoo clutches the mug closer to him as he bounces slightly from sehun’s sudden weight dropping on the cushion.

 

“what?” kyungsoo asks. he takes a careful sip of the drink and smiles slightly. jongin sees kyungsoo look at sehun, sort of, because he has seen how thick kyungsoo’s glasses are. he is probably blind without them.

 

“did you enjoy the trip?” sehun says cheekily.

 

jongin plays around with the setting of his camera, sitting on the armchair a little across from sehun and kyungsoo. he lifts up the device and places it on his face, one eye trained on the viewfinder.

 

he takes a full shot of sehun and kyungsoo facing each other, open and friendly postures showing how much they like each other. jongin pauses with a finger on the shutter as he awaits kyungsoo’s reply.

 

“i enjoyed it so much. thank you, sehun,” kyungsoo says sincerely. he turns to jongin and the taller male puts the camera down, finger flipping on one lever so the view is displayed on the screen. he glances down and trains it on kyungsoo’s face, zooming. 

 

kyungsoo gives a wide beam that has jongin’s finger stuttering against the shutter.

 

“thank you, jongin,” he says. it’s the same fucking smile that has jongin pressing down on a button. “for everything.”

 

kyungsoo probably does not notice the photo being taken, what with his glasses being removed. he turns to sehun again to continue their little chatter as if he hasn’t turned jongin’s hands into a mess. sehun shoots jongin a pointed look that jongin has decided to ignore. it’s nothing, really, jongin is _fine_.

 

sehun turns away with a confident smirk as jongin looks down.

 

he looks at kyungsoo’s face on the tiny screen, wondering how a smile so big can fit inside something so small, so finite. the older man's cheeks are both red and the blush makes his freckles stand out in a pretty way. he wonders to himself again if kyungsoo knows this is how he looks like when he's happy, all flushed and glowing with stars suspended on his skin.

 

jongin turns the camera off and places it down beside him, feeling like he has stolen something from kyungsoo just as kyungsoo has stolen something from him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **NO. sehun won't fall in love with kyungsoo.**
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
> anyway, next update will probably be next week since i'm gonna take an exam this sunday.

**Author's Note:**

> this will only have three chapters i just wanna get the prologue out of the way because after this we're going ~time skip~ and the F5 + ksoo + the two other gorls will go to canada already and jongin will finally get to know kyungsoo more :>


End file.
